Christmas is normally a time when not a great deal goes on. Infact, when our editor turned to us a few days ago and told us Ears To The House would be providing a full service as normal on Boxing Day, we all pondered – just what on earth were we going to write about?
It turns out we need not have worried – because the festive season apparently also offers opportunities for politicians to put their foot into it. Around a week ago, the British government announced new measures to deal with drink spiking – and their first plan was to actually make it a criminal offence in its own right.
Apparently, their plan is to modify both the Criminal Justice Bill and the Offences Against The Person Act 1861 to state that it’s illegal. There’s just one problem with what they’re proposing – it’s already illegal. But don’t take our word for it – just look at what London’s Metropolitan Police have to say on the subject…
“Spiking offences are covered by more than one law. Most spiking cases are offences under the Offences Against the Person Act 1861. This covers the use of harmful substances. The Sexual Offences Act 2003 covers cases where someone spikes a victim to sexually assault them.”
That’s right – the British government is proposing to fix a problem with a solution that’s already in place and has been, in one case, for over 140 years. In other words, the government was just looking for some sympathetic press coverage by dishing out a story to journalists who couldn’t be bothered to check.
Had they done so, they would have discovered that the same British government that now wants to change the law to say, er, exactly what it says now previously said it wouldn’t change the law – branding the move “unnecessary”. But then again, a serious policy on a serious issue is too much to ask for.
How else can anyone interpret the remarks made by the Home Secretary, the man whose department is responsible for this legislation? Britain’s Sunday Mirror ran a story on Christmas Eve where they quoted the words he used at an event on the same day the new proposals were made.
James Cleverly told guests at a Downing Street reception that “a little bit of Rohypnol in [his wife’s] drink every night” was “not really illegal if it’s only a little bit”. He also made a bizarre comment that the secret to a long marriage was ensuring your spouse was “someone who is always mildly sedated so she can never realise there are better men out there.”.
Cleverly himself has apologised for the comments – and is somehow still in his job at the time of publication…
